Two Sides of the Coin
by CloudySkies17695
Summary: Synopsis: Mario and Luigi are video game characters. We know this, but what if they knew that, as well? How would they make of that situation, and more importantly, what kind of consequences would it bring?
1. Luigi's Story

**Synopsis: Mario and Luigi are video game characters. We know this, but what if they knew that, as well? How would they make of that situation, and more importantly, what kind of consequences would it bring?**

If someone was to ask who we were, we'd barely need an explanation. We're the Mario Brothers, one of, if not the most iconic video game duo, and with popularity comes a fandom. It always surprised me that the internet thought so fondly of me, and it still kind of does to this day. Considering that the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom either always seemed to forget who I was or seemingly hate every amount of fiber in my body, I was simply overjoyed to be receiving this amount of love. However, nowadays, I begin to worry if I let that get to my head. Too much pride can be another one's downfall, as they say. It seems it can also make you a bit oblivious.

Let me start from the beginning. It was about a month ago when I really started to notice things were…stange… It started out as any other day. I was tidying up around the house while my big brother, Mario, had gone on yet another solo adventure to save the princess. Now, it was by choice this time, but there's been a handful of times where he didn't bring me along when I wanted to join him. Heck, in a couple of our games, he finds partners along the way to help him, which has always irked me. Despite that though, I know he is trying to protect me, even if it can be a little excessive, and I know if I was in his shoes, I would probably be the exact same way. If I ever lost him… I'm really not sure what I would do. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.

As I was finishing cleaning off the kitchen table, making sure it was shiny and spotless (I've always been kind of a neat freak like that) I heard the door knob rattle, knowing too well who it was. Instantaneously, I dropped the purple rag I was holding and unlocked the door, more than ready to welcome my brother home in open arms.

I opened the door, and there he was, albeit a bit ruffled, obviously from his adventure, a small ember on the brim of his familiar cap. "Hey, Bro," he sighed, pinching the small flame with his fingers, putting it out, proceeding to shuffle over to the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee.

Already, something seemed off. Usually he was much more eager. Even after a tough adventure, he still had _some_ energy. Here though, he just seemed drained. I stepped towards him, concern already clouding my thoughts. "Uh, hey, Big Bro. Welcome home! Are you…alright?"

He jolted for a moment as he proceeded to awkwardly turn his head towards me with a seemingly forced smile on his face. "Oh, don't worry about it. I was just a little bit off my game, that's all." He then turned back to the kettle which had since finished boiling. A part of me wanted to ask more questions, but I decided to trust him for the time being, thinking this was just a one-time thing.

Days passed though, and he only seemed to become more burned out, but still keeping that cheerful demeanor. Even when I tried to persuade him into telling me what was bugging him, he would just seemingly make up excuses. Something was wrong, and I knew it. Mario was the type of person to always look on the positive side of life. It always seemed like whenever something _did_ bring him down, it wouldn't dampen his spirits for long. I even asked some of our friends about the matter, and they too voiced their concerns. There was no doubt in my mind that something, or someone was messing with my bro, and I would stop at nothing to put an end to it. However, the problem was trying to figure out just who, or what it was.

One day though, my questions would finally be answered. I was in the Toad Town Library, finishing up a couple errands when a Blue Toad ran up to me, screaming. I did my best to quiet him down and asked him what's wrong.

"Luigi, It's an emergency!" he exclaimed, doing his best to whisper. Despite the Toad's panic, I lit up slightly. It wasn't too often the civilians of the Mushroom Kingdom wanted _my_ help, after all.

I tilted my head to the side, more than ready to help the mushroom retainer with his troubles. "Huh? What is it?" I asked him.

Without a warning, he grabbed my left arm and brought my in real close, causing me to yelp a little. "Why are people on the internet such monsters?" he suddenly blurted out.

I was simply floored by his question to say the least. "Toad, what are you talking about?"

The Toad just pouted as he began to drag me by the arm to a computer. "Are you blind to the things people are saying online? You must be!"

I was starting to get annoyed by how vague the Toad was being. "Toad, I really don't want to play 20 Questions. Just tell me what's wrong."

He sat me down in a chair in front of a computer and pointed at the screen. "Look for yourself! Now do you believe me?" Confused, I leaned in closer towards the monitor, soon drawing back, horrified at what I saw.

On the screen was a news article about my brother, and it was anything but optimistic. Reading the header alone was enough to mortify me, stating that my bro, probably the happiest, bravest, coolest, and sweetest person you could ever meet, was anything but, painting him as a complete and utter monster. I couldn't even bear to read ahead. I just stiffly sat in the chair, my left hand over my mouth, tears beginning to blur my vision.

That's when it finally clicked. The Toad's panic, Mario's recent behavior, it was all because of this, and I never realized it until now. I couldn't believe people would make such accusations about my bro, but I also couldn't believe myself. Not once did I recall wondering what the internet thought about him. I guess I always assumed they treated him like the hero he was. I felt so horrible. I kept asking myself why didn't piece such an obvious answer together sooner.

So many emotions were swirling through me. Guilt, sadness, anger… Pretty much any negative emotion in the book. I almost wanted to punch my hand through the screen, but I was able to restrain myself. I got up, the Toad jumping slightly.

"Luigi, where are you going?"

I just looked at him, straightening my cap, trying to be as calm as possible (which, honestly, is often kind of hard for me to do). "I'm going to make things right."

With that, I was off. After exiting the library, I ran faster than I had ever ran before back to the house. I had left him to his lonesome that day, giving me a bit of a hope spot that he had completely took up on staying home.

Soon enough, I had finally made it back home, the front door seemingly looming over me. I opened it, calling out Mario's name, once again trying to remain calm despite my overbearing worry. There was no response. I tried calling out again, greeted by silence once more. "Maybe he went outside," I thought to myself. Letting out a sigh, I continued to search around the house a bit more, steadily losing hope he was nearby.

What seemed like countless minutes passed, and there was still no sign of him. I sighed to myself. I had already checked pretty much every single nook and cranny that was downstairs, and I was beginning to feel that looking upstairs would bear the same results. Suddenly though, I heard a loud thud come from upstairs. I quickly shot my attention towards the direction of the noise, relief and oppressive concern plaguing my mind. Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I walked upstairs to further investigate.

As I did a small hop over the last two steps, I heard another thud. Despite my initial shock, I was soon overcome with relief and turned towards the source of the noise: the bedroom. "Mario must be in there," I pondered. "I could've sworn the door was open on my way out."

As I reached for the door knob, one more thud sounded, only this time, it seemed to come from the door itself. I stepped back a bit, letting out another small yelp, but soon came back to my senses. I knew Mario was hurting, but he had to know this wasn't the way to handle it. I took another deep breath, nodded, and reached for the door knob again and turned it, causing the door to open for a split second for slamming closed once again, causing me to flinch again.

I regained my composure for a small while and proceeded to try and push the door open again, this time, practically using all the strength I could muster. Through this seemingly endless game of sorts, I could only ask myself one thing: Why?

Why was he being so childish? He knew this wasn't the way to handle his sadness, so why was he insisting on doing so?

To my surprise though, he eventually let up, leading to the door practically slamming on the wall and me losing my balance, resulting in me almost falling. I regained my balance and proceeded to look at my brother, complete misery and fatigue drenched in those glazed eyes of his.

"Weegee, what do you want?" he finally asked in a flat tone.

There was no turning back now, not that I would've beforehand. Mario's happiness was on the line, and I knew I had to find a way to restore it. We're brothers, after all, and we need to look out for each other, no matter what happens. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat, completely ready to help him. "Mario, we need to talk," I bluntly replied.

Instantly, he drew back a bit. "Oh! Um, W-what do you want to talk about?" he hastily responded, his voice cracking a bit.

All I could really do was sigh again before taking his arm and walk us over to my bed to sit down and talk, a confused expression on his face the whole way there. I felt a sharp lurching in my throat, but I knew I had to speak up. My brother's happiness was on the line. I cleared my throat again and locked my eyes on his. "It's about the internet. Have people online…been saying bad things about you?"

I seemed to hit a chord with my question as he flinched back, almost to the point of falling backwards. "Wha- What are you-" He proceeded to give a obviously nervous laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, Bro! Everyone loves me! I'm Super Mario! Mr. Video! I helped to bring back gaming as a whole! Why would-"

"Mario, I'm serious," I simply replied, shooting him a glare.

Mario was obviously beginning to panic. "Luigi, I am being serious! E-everything is fine! You worry too much! A-again, everything is fine, so you can just-"

Anger began to rise in me as a grabbed his shoulders. "Big Bro, I _know_ you're not being serious!" I exclaimed. "For the past month, you've been closing yourself off from everyone, trying to cover everything up with happiness as if nothing was ever wrong! Don't you realize that everyone has been worried sick about you? Why can't you just tell us what's going on?"

Mario just stared at me vacantly, almost as if he was shell-shocked at what I had said. Finally, after what seemed like minutes on end, he hung as head down and gave a bittersweet chuckle. "Well, you finally caught me," he jested. "It's not that big a deal, though."

"It is a big deal!" I retorted, feeling my anger rise again. "If you keep shutting yourself away like this, you're only going to get worse! You don't have to rely on yourself and yourself alone all the time!" I stopped for a moment, not even really sure what to say. All I could do was deeply exhale, unsure of how I could get my brother to finally fess up. "Mario, please. You know you can tell me anything and I wouldn't ever judge you for it. I...I just want to help you, Bro. Please just tell me what's wrong…"

Silence fell upon the two of us again as Mario held his head down again, clutching his knees in between his arms. "Luigi, am I really that bad of a person?"

My stomach practically dropped. "What? What are you talking about? You're the coolest person I know! Why would-"

"Of course you would say that about your own brother," Mario interrupted with a scoff. "Even Bowser is treated with much more respect. Ironic isn't it? Someone who supposed to be our greatest foe is made out to be the true hero of the story. A lot of the villains we've faced are treated like this, actually, always being put on this pedestal as if they're the perfect being. With them being so loved, is it so bad for me to defeat them?"

I felt my stomach drop again. Just how bad was this harrassment to make Mario _this_ upset? For this kind of hate to affect my brother to the point of depression, it had to have been very serious. I wasn't even sure how to respond to his monologue. I just felt simply mortified that people had supposedly caused my brother to become to way he was at that moment.

Mario let out a shaky breath. "Luigi… I'm scared. What if I snap and start doing the things they say I'm doing? What will happen then? Would everyone hate me even more, or would they start trying to prove me innocence? How hypocritical… Maybe the whole kingdom hates me, already. I don't even know how much more of this I can take." He put his hands to his head and gripped his head tightly. "I can't take this anymore, Bro! I can't take it! I can't take it!"

"Mario, get a hold of yourself!" I shouted, now shaking him in a desperate attempt to get him back to his senses. "Everyone in the kingdom adores you! I've seen so many people who aspire to be just like you, and I don't blame them at all! You're brave, noble, not to mention the coolest and kindest guy I know! You always beat the villain no matter how tough they are, and always end up getting the girl… Why wouldn't-"

Mario scoffed again and turned his head to the side. "'Get the girl?' What a joke. I doubt the princess even likes me like that. All those kisses and cakes are just gratitude. Besides, she's a ruler of a kingdom, and I'm just me, a portly plumber. I bet if I proposed to her, or even asked her out, she would turn me down of the spot. Maybe people are right. Maybe she really does like Bowser after all and this whole kidnapping thing is just some silly little game I don't know about. If anything, you're much more deserving of her than I ever would be."

I was getting desperate at this point. There had to be _something_ to get him out of this stupor. It pained more than anything else to the the normally confident and happy-go-lucky man that was my brother in such misery. I shook him again, more rapidly this time. "Bro, come on! Snap out of it! This isn't you! I don't know how to make it stop, but I promise I'll find a way! Just please snap out of it!"

Mario face turned from surprise to sheer apathy. "You're too kind for your own good, you know that? Listen. Nothing is ever going to change. It's just going to keep happening, and we'll always be too powerless to stop it from happening. I've even wanted to stop going on adventures entirely. I'm such a dirty coward. Even when you're scared, you're always able to eventually face the challenges head-on. Me, on the other hand… I'm too scared to even go outside, lest I get ridiculed even more. Don't you even realize how pathetic that is? It's no wonder they like you more…"

I didn't even know what to say anymore. What was I supposed to say? In the course of our entire lives, Mario had never been this unhappy. All I could really do was look at him with sad eyes.

He sighed and spoke up in that same flat tone. "Now do you realize? Do you finally realize that I'm a bad brother?"

I felt my eyes widen. "What?! Why would I ever-"

"Here's a better question," he interrupted. "Do you hate me?"

I felt my blood run stone cold. He had to know the answer to that was anything but. I was just left speechless, completely in shock at what he asked.

Mario briefly sighed. "Telling by your shock, perhaps you do, or maybe you don't. I don't really know anymore. I always seem to leave you behind when I go on adventures, seemingly ditching you in favor of the princess… To be honest, if you secretly resented me, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

I tried to speak up in order to counteract everything he had said up to that point, but he just put his hand to my mouth and shot me a glare. "Let. Me. Talk."

With reluctance, I just nodded and let him say what was on his mind. "Why can't you just open your eyes, Luigi? People love you, worship you even. Regardless, I don't hold anything against you. If anything, I'm happy you're finally are getting the attention you very much deserve. You have no idea how much it pains me when we go on adventures, only for people to either forget who you are, or simply seem to hate your guts." He paused for a moment, taking a heavy breath before speaking again. "Well, I guess this is my just desserts. At the very least, you can finally stop living in my shadow. That'll probably make you very happy, won't i-"

I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't bear to see him like this. I placed my hands on his shoulders again, gripping him tight. "Are you listening to what you're even saying?" I finally snapped. "Why haven't you told anyone about this, instead putting on a half-assed smile as if to say everything is okay? You don't have to be the perfect hero every minute of your life! As much as it pains me to say it, you aren't perfect! You're always charging head first into battles, never seeming to care if there's danger ahead or not! You're always so reckless! Do you even realize how torn I would be if something were to happen to you? Damn it, Mario, why can't you just swallow your pride for once in your life and realize that you don't have to handle everything by yourself?!"

Mario just stared at me in complete shock. "Lu-Lui-"

I didn't even want to hear another negative thing about himself come out of his mouth. Through my anger, I slapped him across the face, time seeming to slow to a crawl through it all. Soon enough, I snapped back to my senses, my eyes widening in horror at the realization of what I had just done. Mario just continued to look at me with those same shocked, unblinking eyes, now rubbing his now throbbing cheek. I began to reach out my hand towards his injured cheek. "O-oh my god… Bro… I'm so sorry. I-I just-"

Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed a hold of my arm and shook his head. "No, I needed that. Thanks. I'm sorry for pretty much telling you my life's story. I know you have better things to do."

"If your happiness is on the line, then I don't!" I retorted. "I just want to help you!"

Mario sighed, sniffling a bit. "I know that, but I'll be fine, really. I know you told me to swallow my pride, but I really can handle this. Besides… I was designed as a character that would make people and happy and inspired. Why…why would anyone want to aspire to be like me when I am in a state like this?"

"That's more of the reason to help you!" I persisted. "Please…. Just let me help…"

Mario just shook his head again. "I…I know you want to help, but I'll be fine… I-I promise…"

He stopped for a moment, taking a gasp of air. "Luigi, please, just leave…me…alone…"

I was about to speak up again, but he interjected once more, his voice beginning to falter. "W-why are you so nice to me? Even after everything I've said to you today… T-that heart of gold is probably going to kill you one day. I...I can't even bear the thought…. I can't… I can't…"

Without giving me much time to react, he collapsed into my arms and began to sob. It was obvious he had been holding all of his sadness in, likely only feeling now was an alright time to let it all out. I didn't even say a word. I just held him close, rubbing his back as an attempt to tell him everything was okay.

Soon enough, he calmed down enough to speak. "I'm sorry, Luigi," he finally muttered. "I just… I just-"

I took his hand and shook my head, doing my best to smile. "No, Mario. It's okay. You don't have to apologize for anything."

He sniveled a bit and averted his gaze. "I guess… But... Well, I guess I shouldn't have let it get to me this much…"

I let out a small sigh and began to stroke his hand. "Mario, I told you that you don't have to apologize for anything. Everything's fine. It's going to be okay."

He exhaled and averted his eyes again in a gloomy manner. "I understand. It's just… I don't know what to do anymore. I know I should just ignore it, but it's become so rampant, and-"

Before I could let him finish his sentence, I put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile before pulling him into an embrace. For a single moment, time seemingly stood still again. "That's enough, Mario. You don't have to suffer alone anymore. It doesn't matter what they think. Just remember that all of us here see you as the hero that you really are. We all think you're great, Mario. Don't ever forget that. Okay, Bro? Even if it seems the whole world is against you, just remember that we all believe in you. I believe in you. We're all going to be here for you, Bro... Always…"

Mario remained seemingly motionless for a moment before wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on my chest, catching me off guard for a quick moment. "Thank you, Luigi," he mustered out. "You're the best brother anyone could ever ask for. I love you..."

I couldn't help but smile as I nestled my chin in the top of his cap. "You're welcome, Mario. I love you, too..."

If someone was to ask who we were, we'd barely need an explanation. We're the Mario Brothers, one of, if not the most iconic video game duo, but there's more to it than that.

We're basically two halves of one whole. Even when one of us is at our worst and the whole world seems against us, the other brother will always stay by their side, regardless of the consequences, because no matter what, there's always two sides of the coin.


	2. Mario's Story

If someone was to ask who we were, we'd barely need an explanation. We're the Mario Brothers, one of, if not the most iconic video game duo, and with popularity comes a fandom. Now, my brother is definitely more popular among the two of us when it comes to the fanbase, and I honestly couldn't be too much happier for him. It always seemed that the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom either seemed to forget who he was, or simply held him in contempt, regardless of how many times I tried to vouch for him. To see him finally get the attention and recognition he very much deserved, well, it made me happier than I ever could be. As for me, people…weren't too warm towards me, to say the least.

Don't get me wrong. I tried to think nothing of it at first, telling myself it was just a couple unpopular opinions and that it would soon enough pass. However, it didn't stop. If anything, it got worse. So many people hated me, mostly for stuff that was relatively petty. Despite what I kept telling myself, I felt myself become unhappier with each passing day, getting to the point where I even began to believe some of the negative stuff people were saying about me. I didn't want to tell anyone about what was happening, though. Call it selfish or prideful, but I didn't want to just dump all my problems on someone else. I was designed as a character that would make people happy, after all. Who would want to aspire to be someone who just loaded their misery onto others? In a situation like this, I had no idea what to do.

I also noticed my focus had seemingly began to deteriorate, which is certainly not good when fighting baddies like Bowser. One of my most recent fights was actually rather intense because of this, and I seemingly got out my the skin of my teeth. After escorting the princess back to her castle, I walked home feeling defeated, even though I technically won. I knew that if I kept losing focus like this, my next duel with Bowser could end with a game over. I shook my head as a way to get back to my senses, knowing I couldn't let it eat at me forever. Besides, I had the rest of the night to recuperate.

Soon enough, I made it back home and turned the door knob, only to find the door was locked. I sighed, and went to knock, but before I could, the door opened, revealing my younger, albeit taller, brother, Luigi.

"Hey, Bro," I sighed, pinching an ember that was lingering on the brim of my hat, putting it out, proceeding to shuffle towards the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee. For a while, it was eerily quiet and after what seemed like an eternity, Luigi spoke up.

"Uh, hey, Big Bro. Welcome home! Are you…alright?"

I froze for a moment. What was I supposed to tell him? Despite Luigi being the person I trusted most in the world, I couldn't bear to tell him about what was happening online. Eventually, I turned my head towards him, doing my best to smile. "Oh, don't worry about it. I was just a little bit off my game, that's all." Admittedly, I was being half-true with that statement. I guess it was a small part of me instinctively asking for help. I even expected Luigi to ask more questions, but he never asked another one.

Days passed, and I just continued to become more upset and drained. It got to the point where I dreaded going outside, lest I get ridiculed more than I already was being. The worst part was that I had no real power to stop it. Despite everything, I knew I had to keep up my usual happy demeanor, but I knew I couldn't keep this up forever, and yet, I simply just felt forced to.

One day though, that would finally change. Luigi had gone out to run a few errands, leaving me to myself. Even though I was extremely grateful for my brother's company, I began to embrace the times where I was alone. As the door closed, I let out a quiet sigh and proceeded to head towards the bedroom, plopping down on my bed and drifted off.

When I opened my eyes, though, I wasn't in bed anymore, but rather a seemingly endless and lifeless area covered in what I believe was mist. I slowly traversed the area, every one of my steps and breaths echoing. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Leaving me, as always, huh? How typical of you."

I turned around to see my brother, a stern look on his face.

I faltered for a moment. "Uh, hey, Luigi. Is something wr-"

"Honestly, do you really think I'd fall for that nice act again? Do you think I'm some kind of naive idiot?"

I recoiled back at his statement. "What? L-Luigi, I would never say or think th-"

Luigi interrupted me again. "Your lies won't work on me anymore. I know that deep down, you resent everyone with all the fibers in your body, yet you're so arrogant, you've never realized that, did you? I bet you don't even know your actions have consequences."

I was beginning to get flustered at this point. "Luigi, snap out of it! I know you don't mean any of this!"

Luigi just fell silent for what seemed like forever before letting out a single chuckle. "There you go being self-centered again. I don't know why I've stayed by your side this long, considering the way you treat me. I suppose all those happy and tender moments are fake, huh, you manipulative bastard? Heh, you really are a bad brother."

I was practically speechless. I knew Luigi would never say things like that, yet there he was, spewing spiteful things about me. "Lu...Luigi," I eventually spat out, desperate to placate him. "Luigi, I assure you all those happy memories weren't fake. They never would be. I don't know what I can do to prove you otherwise, but I'll find a way, I prom-"

Luigi scoffed. "Don't give me that. I know you're just trying to use me again. If I can't call you a liar or a monster, what can I call you?"

My eyes widened at that last sentence. Something was wrong. I _knew_ Luigi wouldn't say these kind of things…right? My brother always wore his heart on his sleeve, putting his fears aside if it meant saving the princess, or anyone, really. Most of all though, he never stopped believing in me, even when I was at my worst, and it was something I was extremely grateful and it had always empowered me to push onward. Then and there, it felt like all of those truths had just been shattered, leaving me motionless, too choked up to even respond.

I eventually heard him scoff again, making me snap back to my senses. "It seems you finally realized just how much pain you caused everyone. Took you long enough. It doesn't matter, though. I don't forgive you. It's too late to apologize to anyone."

I didn't even respond. All I could do was look down at the ground, my hands close to my heart.

He pulled down his cap and turned away, fists clenched tight. "Don't follow me. You are not worth my time." As he walked away, a rumbling noise from above began to sound, and at immeasurable speed, a blinding bolt of lightning struck down, giving me no time to do anything but cover my eyes with my arms, hoping if it hit me, it wouldn't hurt much.

Eventually, the lighting and the light it brought with it both faded away. I opened my eyes, still adjusting to the now darker and thicker mist. I began to cough as I looked around, hoping Luigi was still nearby. Worry clouding my thoughts, I called out his name, but there was no response. I tried calling out again, greeted by silence once more. "Oh, Weegee. Please don't be out too far," I muttered as I began to walk in the direction he had. Not too long after beginning my search, I felt my left foot sink into something. I looked down and felt my eyes widen at what I saw.

Below me was a pile of ash, a tattered piece of my brother's hat to the right of my foot. All I could do was look in disbelief and horror at the image in front of me. Soon enough, I fell down on my knees, scooping up some of the soot that was once Luigi, my hands trembling as it fell back on the pile, blowing away soon after, leaving me alone.

I looked down at the dusty, torn piece of his hat again, tears almost completely blurring my vision, as I held it to my chest. I couldn't believe it. Luigi, my one and only brother, my best friend in the whole world, the person I loved and trusted more than anyone, was dead, and I didn't even do anything to save him. Even knowing that I wasn't aware that the lightning would strike, I couldn't help but blame myself. I just sat there, clutching the tattered piece of his cap, overcome with grief and guilt.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard footsteps behind me. I quickly turned around, seeing Princess Peach, her expression being as sour as Luigi's.

I quickly bolted up, wanting to at least try to explain the situation I had just witnessed. "P-Peach," I choked out. "I-it's terrible… L-Luigi… He… He..."

"Do you really think I have time for a two-timer like you?"

I jolted back, completely unsure how to respond to her bold claim.

She huffed as she stood up tall. "You're always rescuing and traveling with other girls, letting them kiss you on the cheek, and you still wonder why you've never managed to win my heart? Hmph. It never belonged to you in the first place." She put her hand to her forehead, sighed again, and bowed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some royal duties to attend to, and I expect you to not show up whenever I get kidnapped anymore."

With a flick of her nose, she huffed off, but not before turning her head back to me, glaring. "That's another thing. If you're always so determined to rescue me, why can't you just prevent it from happening?"

I just stared solemnly at her. I never thought too hard on it. I genuinely loved rescuing her, and I would never blame it on her for happening. Before I could think on it more, the same booming noise from earlier sounded again. I felt my eyes widen once again as I ran towards her, my right hand reached out towards her.

"Peach, no! Wai-"

But it was too late. The lightning flashed once more, causing me to fall backwards. When it subsided, I was greeted by the same image of ashes, the only real difference being a part of Peach's crown on top of them. I slowly walked to the pile of ashes, each step seemingly causing more to blow away, all of them being gone by the time I went up to pick up the destroyed piece of Peach's once bejeweled and exquisite crown. Tears began blinding my sight again as the mist became much darker and thicker than before, getting close to the point of choking me.

Through the haze, three more familiar figures came out: Bowser, Yoshi, and Toad, all them them sporting that same glare. I just stared at them with pleading, melancholy eyes.

Bowser simply snarled. "Not even I would do the heinous things you've done. Come on, you worms. We've got to scram."

Toad was the first to follow up on the Koopa King's remark to leave. As he walked away, he turned his head around and only said one thing: "Traitor."

I wanted to reach out towards the two of them, but I just couldn't find the strength, leaving me to stare at Yoshi, who just gave me an unamused look and shook his head before following the others. The lightning began to strike again, and this time, I didn't even bother to move. I already knew it was hopeless to try and save them.

I looked down again as my arms went limp, the two pieces of destroyed headwear I was once holding shattering like glass as they fell on the ground, leaving the whole area around to become pitch-black aside from a single spotlight on me.

As I walked forward, desperate to find someone, I kept hearing voices saying things similar to the things everyone else had said up to that point, as the spotlight grew dimmer and dimmer, and eventually, there was no light at all. I drew my soot-stained hands close, somewhat startled that I could still somehow see myself perfectly, but I knew I had to press on. I ventured for what truly seemed to be an eternity, but eventually, I felt gravity pull me into something, dragging me into what seemed to be oblivion. I couldn't scream even if I wanted to. I just closed my eyes, accepting my fate, as I descended further.

Eventually, I made contact with something cold and hard. My eyes shot open and were greeted by an endless and stuffy sea of red, causing me to panic relentlessly. I struggled my way out and as soon as I found myself in it, I had escaped, reunited with the sight of the bedroom. I glanced back at my bed, now stripped of covers, then looked down at the sheets I was under. I sighed in relief. "It was just a dream… Thank goodness…"

All of a sudden, I heard footsteps. There was no visitors coming that day to my knowledge, so it could only be one person: Luigi. Panicking, I hastily put my cap back on and tried to run over to the door in order to blockade it, only to slip and fall. I groaned a bit, rubbing my nose as the footsteps grew closer. I knew I didn't have much time. I got my footing and pressed all my weight on the door, not wanting to let my brother see me in the disheveled state I was in. Shortly after, I felt the door begin to open, and I instinctively pushed it back shut. Everything was quiet for a while, and I breathed another sigh of relief. "It seems he got the message," I thought to myself. To my surprise, though, I began to feel to door open with great force, and I knew I had to fight back, and so I did. Through this seemingly endless game of sorts, I could only ask myself one thing: Why?

Why was I being so childish? I knew this wasn't the way to handle my sadness, so why was I insisting on doing so?

I knew it was hopeless. He was just going to keep prying me, after all. Eventually, I just gave up, causing Luigi to unintentionally slam the door open and lose his balance, almost resulting in him falling on the floor. I just looked at him, a mix of worry and sternness on his face. "Weegee, what do you want?" I finally asked.

He inhaled deeply and cleared his throat. "Mario, we need to talk."

A chill went down my spine when he said that. "Oh! Um, W-what do you want to talk about?" I asked him, trying to sound as calm as possible, but inevitably failing.

Luigi just stood still for a few moments before sighing and taking my arm, walking us over to his bed. Soon enough, we both took a seat as silence drowned the house again. Eventually, Luigi cleared his throat again and locked his eyes at mine, that same expression on his face. "It's about the internet. Have people online…been saying bad things about you?"

I flinched back at his remark. He was completely dead-on. I wasn't even too sure how to reply. "Wha- What are you-" I eventually spat out before trying to laugh it off. "Don't be ridiculous, Bro! Everyone loves me! I'm Super Mario! Mr. Video! I helped to bring back gaming as a whole! Why would-"

"Mario, I'm serious," Luigi bluntly interrupted, shooting me a glare.

I was beginning to panic. "Luigi, I am being serious! E-everything is fine! You worry too much! A-again, everything is fine, so you can just-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Luigi grabbed my shoulders, his face becoming more stern. "Big Bro, I _know_ you're not being serious!" he exclaimed, beginning to border on shouting. "For the past month, you've been closing yourself off from everyone, trying to cover everything up with happiness as if nothing was ever wrong! Don't you realize that everyone has been worried sick about you? Why can't you just tell us what's going on?"

I just stared at him. Everything he had said was true. How was I even supposed to counteract his claims? Eventually, I decided to finally give in as I hung my head down, doing my best to let out a chuckle. "Well, you finally caught me. It's not that big a deal, though."

"It is a big deal!" Luigi angirly retorted. "If you keep shutting yourself away like this, you're only going to get worse! You don't have to rely on yourself and yourself alone all the time!" He stopped for a few moments, proceeding to catch his breath, soon sporting a more sad expression. "Mario, please," he finally continued. "You know you can tell me anything and I wouldn't ever judge you for it. I…I just want to help you, Bro. Please just tell me what's wrong."

Silence greeted the two of us again. I wasn't even too sure how to respond anymore. All I could do was just cave in more, burying my face into my arms. "Luigi, am I really that bad of a person?" I finally asked.

"What are you talking about?" Luigi responded almost immediately. "You're the coolest person I know! Why would-"

I couldn't help but scoff at his remark. "Of course you would say that about your own brother. Even Bowser is treated with much more respect. Ironic isn't it? Someone who supposed to be our greatest foe is made out to be the true hero of the story. A lot of the villains we've faced are treated like this, actually, always being put on this pedestal as if they're the perfect being. With them being so loved, is it so bad for me to defeat them?"

I paused for a moment, letting out a breath that had lingered within me for way too long. "Luigi… I'm scared. What if I snap and start doing the things they say I'm doing? What will happen then? Would everyone hate me even more, or would they start trying to prove me innocence? How hypocritical… Maybe the whole kingdom hates me, already. I don't even know how much more of this I can take." I gripped my head tightly. I can't take this anymore, Bro! I can't take it! I can't take it!"

"Mario, get a hold of yourself!" Luigi shouted, shaking me again, desperation clearly in his tone. "Everyone in the kingdom adores you! I've seen so many people who aspire to be just like you, and I don't blame them at all! You're brave, noble, not to mention the coolest and kindest guy I know! You always beat the villain no matter how tough they are, and always end up getting the girl… Why wouldn't-"

I couldn't help but scoff again. "'Get the girl?' What a joke. I doubt the princess even likes me like that. All those kisses and cakes are just gratitude. Besides, she's a ruler of a kingdom, and I'm just me, a portly plumber. I bet if I proposed to her, or even asked her out, she would turn me down of the spot. Maybe people are right. Maybe she really does like Bowser after all and this whole kidnapping thing is just some silly little game I don't know about. If anything, you're much more deserving of her than I ever would be."

Luigi proceeded to shake me again, this time more rapidly. "Bro, come on! Snap out of it! This isn't you! I don't know how to make it stop, but I promise I'll find a way! Just please snap out of it!"

I felt my face turn to that of surprise into dullness. "You're too kind for your own good, you know that? Listen. Nothing is ever going to change. It's just going to keep happening, and we'll always be too powerless to stop it from happening. I've even wanted to stop going on adventures entirely. I'm such a dirty coward. Even when you're scared, you're always able to eventually face the challenges head-on. Me, on the other hand… I'm too scared to even go outside, lest I get ridiculed even more. Don't you even realize how pathetic that is? It's no wonder they like you more…"

Silence fell upon us again, seemingly never-ending. Finally, after what felt like countless minutes on end, I decided to speak up. "Now do you realize? Do you finally realize that I'm a bad brother?"

Luigi let out a small gasp before responding. "What?! Why would I ever-"

"Here's a better question," I interrupted. "Do you hate me?"

Luigi instantly froze upon hearing my question. Through it all, he just remained silent.

I let out a very brief sigh. "Telling by your shock, perhaps you do, or maybe you don't. I don't really know anymore. I always seem to leave you behind when I go on adventures, seemingly ditching you in favor of the princess… To be honest, if you secretly resented me, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

At this point, I could tell Luigi wanted to say something to try and counteract my claims, but I stopped him, putting a hand to his mouth, shooting him a glare. "Let. Me. Talk." It was obvious he didn't want to do so, but he reluctantly nodded and sat back a bit.

I let out a huff, ready to speak. "Why can't you just open your eyes, Luigi? People love you, worship you even. Regardless, I don't hold anything against you. If anything, I'm happy you're finally are getting the attention you very much deserve. You have no idea how much it pains me when we go on adventures, only for people to either forget who you are, or simply seem to hate your guts." I let out another sigh before speaking again, doing my best to smile. "Well, I guess this is my just desserts. At the very least, you can finally stop living in my shadow. That'll probably make you very happy, won't i-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, Luigi gripped by shoulders again, much tighter than before. Are you listening to what you're even saying?" he snapped. "Why haven't you told anyone about this, instead putting on a half-assed smile as if to say everything is okay? You don't have to be the perfect hero every minute of your life! As much as it pains me to say it, you aren't perfect! You're always charging head first into battles, never seeming to care if there's danger ahead or not! You're always so reckless! Do you even realize how torn I would be if something were to happen to you? Damn it, Mario, why can't you just swallow your pride for once in your life and realize that you don't have to handle everything by yourself?!"

I just stared at him, startled a his response, not even knowing what to say next. "Lu-Lui-"

That was seemingly the breaking point for him. Before the two of us knew it, he did something neither of us wouldn't even normally think of doing. To my shock, he slapped me across the face, clearly angered at me. Needless to say, I was more than surprised. I just stared at him, rubbing my now throbbing cheeks as he slowly came back to his senses, clearly horrified at what he had done. He began to reach his hand out towards me, obviously wanting to apologize. "O-oh my god… Bro… I'm so sorry. I-I just-"

I stopped him there, grabbing a hold of his arm. I shook my head at him, doing my best to smile again. "No, I needed that. Thanks. I'm sorry for pretty much telling you my life's story. I know you have better things to do."

Luigi drew his hand back, placing it on his chest. "If your happiness is on the line, then I don't! I just want to help you!"

I sighed again, letting out a small sniffle. "I know that, but I'll be fine, really. I know you told me to swallow my pride, but I really can handle this. Besides… I was designed as a character that would make people and happy and inspired. Why…why would anyone want to aspire to be like me when I am in a state like this?"

"That's more of the reason to help you!" Luigi persisted. "Please…. Just let me help…"

I shook my head again. "I…I know you want to help, but I'll be fine… I-I promise…"

I stopped for a moment, practically gasping for air. "Luigi, please, just leave…me…alone…"

Silence briefly fell upon us once more before I spoke up again, my voice becoming more shaky. "W-why are you so nice to me? Even after everything I've said to you today… T-that heart of gold is probably going to kill you one day. I...I can't even bear the thought…. I can't… I can't…"

That was seemingly the breaking point for me. All the torment on the internet, the thought of Luigi and everyone else I cared about disappearing from my life, I couldn't bear it anymore. Without even really thinking, I collapsed in Luigi's arms and broke down. Even after all of my attempts to lock my sadness away, it just came crashing down in the end. Luigi didn't even say a single word. He just held me in close, rubbing my back, likely as an attempt to say everything was going to be alright. Never in my life had I ever felt so pathetic, yet so safe.

Soon enough, I had calmed down enough to the point where I could speak again. "I'm sorry, Luigi," I finally spat out. "I just… I just-"

Before I could say anything else, Luigi took my hand and shook his head, trying as hard as he could to put on a smile. "No, Mario. It's okay. You don't have to apologize for anything."

A sniveled for a moment before averting my gaze. "I guess… But... Well, I guess I shouldn't have let it get to me this much…"

Luigi sighed for a moment before taking my hand, gently stroking it a bit. "Mario, I told you that you don't have to apologize for anything. Everything's fine. It's going to be okay."

I let out a sigh of my own and averted my eyes again. "I understand. It's just… I don't know what to do anymore. I know I should just ignore it, but it's become so rampant, and-"

Luigi stopped me there. He put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a warm smile. Then, pulled pulled me in close for a hug. Though it was a kind of gesture I was quite used to, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit surprised at that moment.

Luigi exhaled briefly. "That's enough, Mario. You don't have to suffer alone anymore. It doesn't matter what they think. Just remember that all of us here see you as the hero that you really are. We all think you're great, Mario. Don't ever forget that. Okay, Bro? Even if it seems the whole world is against you, just remember that we all believe in you. I believe in you. We're all going to be here for you, Bro... Always…"

I felt myself become teary-eyed again, but it was more out of happiness and gratitude rather than sadness, and for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I felt myself genuinely smile.

I returned the embrace, nestling the side of my face on his chest. "Thank you, Luigi. You're the best brother anyone could ever ask for. I love you…"

I remained in a silent bliss as I felt Luigi rest his chin on my cap. "You're welcome, Mario. I love you, too..."

If someone was to ask who we were, we'd barely need an explanation. We're the Mario Brothers, one of, if not the most iconic video game duo, but there's more to it than that.

We're basically two halves of one whole. Even when one of us is at our worst and the whole world seems against us, the other brother will always stay by their side, regardless of the consequences. because no matter what, there's always two sides of the coin.


End file.
